'Mamma Mia' tunes up for Hamptons

Meryl Streep to sing ABBA at charity event

By LIZ SMITH

Come July 13 the hot ticket in the Hamptons will be an invite to the Long Island kick-off of the musical "Mamma Mia!" starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Christine Baranski. This happens at the little Southampton Cinema. I am told it's not a fund-raiser. Instead, it's called a "cultivation," raising awareness for Evelyn Lauder's Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Only big names are on the invite and people will be clawing to get in and be the first to hear Meryl sing those ABBA songs. (Blackberry Curve and Conde Nast Portfolio are sponsoring, just so VIPs can be invited for free.)

THERE WERE tepid reports out of Cannes about the new Woody Allen film "Vicky Christina Barcelona," yet it won a 10-minute standing ovation there. This film offers a Sapphic kissing scene starring Scarlett Johansson, a three-way boudoir bit and stuff like that. It will premiere in Los Angeles this summer. Woody has already moved on; he'll spend his summer in L.A. directing the Puccini opera, 'Gianni Schicchi."

BUT WHAT people are gassing about is a movie nobody has seen, still filming. This one comes from producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, who also have "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" to their credit. Universal is making "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." It stars Brad Pitt in a tearjerker where he ages backward. 'It's so unusual; it's off the charts," says one pusher.

And Angelina Jolie has another film that people saw in Cannes, titled "Changeling" and it's made by that Hollywood god Clint Eastwood

WHILE WE'RE on a moviemaking-film releasing roll here, may as well give you the last thing they're talking up. It's director Barry Levinson's satire on moviemaking starring Robert De Niro, as a producer, and Sean Penn, as himself. Everybody in the film portrays a real-life person, I'm told. John Turturro, Stanley Tucci and Bruce Willis are also in this thing. People say De Niro has never been better and everybody loves him and Magnolia pictures is just biding its time for October when it all comes true. Oh yes, the title is "What Just Happened?"

PERSONALLY, I can't wait to see Tom Hanks in the now-filming "Angels & Demons," which takes place in Rome and the Vatican and is supposed to be a kind of "sequel" to "The DaVinci Code." In actuality, Dan Brown wrote "Angels & Demons" first and it is an infinitely better novel than the "Code."... SPEAKING of Tom, here comes his wife, Rita Wilson who says she's absolutely thrilled to be the executive producer of the aforesaid "Mamma Mia!" and she'll be in New York for the official premiere screening at the Ziegfeld on July 16. The movie bows on July 18.

'LAW & ORDER'S' Sam Waterston played Hamlet in Central Park 30 years ago. June 17 for the Public Theater's Annual Gala, he'll play Polonius. Michael Stuhlbarg is Hamlet. The gala under the stars honors B'way designer David Rockwell. Call 212-539-8547.

THIS ITEM CAN CUT

HERE'S ONE of the more exclusive parties of the year and it's happening on the advent of summer. Talk about a hot ticket! The Museum of Modern Art will honor philanthropist Donald Marron and famous director Mike Nichols at its 40th annual Party in the Garden on today. Elitists of every stripe and just plain ordinary souls with money will get to hear singer-visual artist M.I.A. at the after-dinner dance. Proceeds go to MOMA's educational program and care of its collection. Tix www.moma.org/partyinthegarden.